<div class="quote_poster">Chutney Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Well on unrelated point, I've decided to pick a random team to follow this college basketball season, just because I've tried to watch a new sport every year so far. Also, I learnt that RaptorsNBATV (which I just ordered a month ago) will show a lot more NCAA games. I haven't decided yet, though. It will be a noticeable team, but not a powerhouse/overexposed team like UNC or Duke. And it will have a cool logo.</div> Awesome! Not to influence your decision or anything, but MSU's second leading scorer is a Canadian. Some other guys from Canada who you might be interested in following (if that's what you're looking for, a reason to root for them) - Ryan Wright - PF - UCLA (Misissauga, Ont.) Sheray Thomas - PF - Kentucky (Montreal, PQ) Maurice Joseph - SG - Michigan St. (Montreal, PQ) Jevohn Shepherd - PG - Michigan (Toronto, Ont.) Levon Kendall - PF - Pittsburgh (Vancouver, BC) Theo Davis - PF - Gonzaga (Brampton, Ont.) * Injured, likely for the year.
Thanks for the info, VC. I think I'm going to follow UCLA this year. Aside from Gonzaga's Davis who's going to be injured for a while, they have the player that's closest to my area (Wright). But more importantly, they have two players that I remember in Afflalo and Mbah a Moute and will most likely make some noise in March. Since they're a well-known school they tend to get a good number of games covered up here, plus, if I enjoy watching them this year, they apparently have a very good center in Kevin Love coming in next year. And finally, they have a cool colour scheme.
<div class="quote_poster">phunDamentalz Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">okay read this for anyone who continues to spout this NBA players have no love for the game b.s.: when i say more love for the game, there is a DIFFERENCE between watching kids, and that's what college players are, play with passion, many of whom will not play in the NBA and have lots of energy because who doesn't have lots of energy at 20 and hey "it would be fun to see if we can make some noise in the tournament", and 30-year old MEN who have already made their millions, have tried year after year AFTER YEAR to reach the top, and are striving to push past being jaded, pushing past failures in recent years, searching for that elusive glory. just because you're running around diving for loose balls doesn't mean you have more love for the game. it probably means your coach is on to you if you DON'T do that. ANd it's very cynical to say there are lots of players in the NBA who ONLY care about money and sneaker contracts. How do YOU know this is true? Has there ever been a study about this? No. Your statment "CONSISTENTLY I see star players who don't give a flying **** about the game" is crazy - think about - how can you literally see a player not give a flying ****? can you give me one incident that PROVES a player doesn't care about the game? I can't think of one. Also you really think if someone ONLY cared about money they would keep coming back to the league every year just to get a few more million???? That's probably not a fun job if you don't want to be there, let's face it. If you had say $30 million in the bank, would you go and play 82 games on a gruelling schedule, flying everywhere, not being able to party or chill out, listening to your coach screaming at you, being scrutinized in the media for a game you didn't give a flying **** about just so you could make an extra four or five million? Most people would take their $30 and retire..... that's real. At some point for even the dumbest athlete the penny drops and they realize they can only drive ONE Bentley at any one time. if you're still not convinced, i think you should check out Maslow's pyramid of needs. The basic theory is that we all have needs starting with basic needs like food and shelter, then progressing up to success and self-actualization. once one level of needs is satisfied, we no longer need that item, and we move to the next step on the pyramid. People who HAVE financial success do not have the psychological NEED for financial success, instead their new need becomes SELF-ACTUALIZATION. in other words reaching your highest potential. This becomes a human NEED once all other needs are taken care of. This is the kind of need you see in NBA players, the need of self-actualization when money has been made, this is something you will never see in NCAA. THAT'S love for the game...... ONE OTHER THING: you might mention say Joe Johnson as an example of a guy who goes for MONEY over WINNING because he went from a 60-win team to a garbage team - and a FAT contract. WRONG. In fact this serves as a clear example of how intense self-actualization is. People say basketball is a team sport. It is ALSO an individual sport, if you don't believe that you are KIDDING YOURSELF. ANd guess what it always been.... When people talk about basketball history, they talk about individual stars more than the teams they were on. Yes, there is talk of the Celtics and Lakers dynasties, but there's more talk of individuals. Joe Johnson is aware of this fact and went to Atlanta to try and put HIMSELF in the history books. Steve Nash is also trying to put HIMSELF in the history books - yes, as an INDVIDUAL. And he's considered a team-first player. But make no mistake - in his head it's all about him. He's just smart enough to realize that HIS legacy will be much better if he plays a team-first game.</div> I'm going to end this in as civil a way as I can. I don't want to get vicious about this because obviously people here have different opinions about things. If you don't like college ball, and you have your reasons why, that's fine. If you don't like the NBA, and you have your reasons why, that's fine. I don't know how you can tell me that I don't know some players don't care despite obvious signs, but then turn around and provide me insight as to why Joe Johnson and Steve Nash do the things they do, but I guess that's your reasoning. Likewise, I'd love to take a poll to see what percentage of NBA players (or pro athletes in general, LOL) know what Maslow's pyramid of needs is. Anyways, you enjoy the NBA, and I'll enjoy the NCAA.
I don't really consider myself a "follower" of college hoops, but I do watch a reg. season game on occassion and I'm usually glued to the t.v. come tournament time.......I just prefer the NBA more, because you know that you're seeing the best of the best play.
<div class="quote_poster">Chutney Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Thanks for the info, VC. I think I'm going to follow UCLA this year. Aside from Gonzaga's Davis who's going to be injured for a while, they have the player that's closest to my area (Wright). But more importantly, they have two players that I remember in Afflalo and Mbah a Moute and will most likely make some noise in March. Since they're a well-known school they tend to get a good number of games covered up here, plus, if I enjoy watching them this year, they apparently have a very good center in Kevin Love coming in next year. And finally, they have a cool colour scheme.</div> UCLA is bad, it's a very bad decision Go for Pitt, they're good, just not the Bruins
<div class="quote_poster">Chutney Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Thanks for the info, VC. I think I'm going to follow UCLA this year. Aside from Gonzaga's Davis who's going to be injured for a while, they have the player that's closest to my area (Wright). But more importantly, they have two players that I remember in Afflalo and Mbah a Moute and will most likely make some noise in March. Since they're a well-known school they tend to get a good number of games covered up here, plus, if I enjoy watching them this year, they apparently have a very good center in Kevin Love coming in next year. And finally, they have a cool colour scheme.</div> Hve fun staying up until midnight watching all their games College ball is by far the better sport. The passion is only about winning, not getting the big contract extension or anything like that. Plus, I love watching the gophers play the top big ten teams tough for a long stretch or go on a big run and sometimes even get the upset. Vincent Grier wa the one that got me back into Minnesota after Haskins screwed us over. He was an unknown JuCo player that out of no where became an all american. Players like this pop up every year. Like walk on Abu Shamala. Its so exciting. Plus being in MInnesota lets me watch all the big-ten schools which are always fun to watch in the tourney.
<div class="quote_poster">J_Ray Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">UCLA is bad, it's a very bad decision Go for Pitt, they're good, just not the Bruins </div> But then I can't complain about East Coast bias.
